Scales for High Voice Range

Suitable for Soprano or Tenor ranges
Below is a series of videos of vocal exercises for high voice registers, designed to help strengthen your voice, increase your range and improve your singing. Each exercise has a brief explanation of what it aims to achieve with regards to your voice.

We have put some consonant/vowel combinations suggestions for you to try on the video. We have mainly used La la la… as it’s effective combination for the beginner. However, as you get more proficient at the scales, or perhaps you have been suggested something to work on by your singing teacher, you can use different consonant/vowel combination instead of what we suggest on the video. There’s a list at the bottom of this page to help you.

The exercises get more difficult the further down the page you go. If you are a complete beginner, start with some of the vocal exercises nearer the top first.
Some of the exercises may have quite a range of notes within them. Join the exercise where it feels comfortable for you and dip out if it starts to get too high/too low. As the weeks progress you will probably find that you will be able to sing more of these notes.

Use a selection of these exercises several times a week (at least 4or 5 each time) for the best results, but always seek advice from your own vocal coach/singing teacher/choir leader if you have one.

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Breathing To Music

Use our short breathing exercise set to music as part of your vocal warm-up. Also great to ground yourself for a few moments of mindfulness. Simply breath in gently, in time with the music over 8 counts and breath out in time with the music over 8 counts. Try to inhale slowly over the 8 counts, rather than a quick intake of air, then holding your breath before exhaling slowly over the 8 counts.

Simple 5th

Good for warming up your voice and beginners

This vocal exercise uses the first five notes of a major scale. It goes up and down twice before a semitone key change. This exercise helps to warm up your voice and is an easy scale to try for beginners. This exercise uses the consonant L combined with the vowel sounds eg: la la la. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern (2 times before the key change – as written in the picture example on the video) in one breath (if you can). It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice the better at it you become.

Octave Scale

Good for warming up the voice, increasing your range and agility

This Octave Exercise runs up and down the octave scale, twice through before a semitone key change.

This exercise is an easy exercise for warming up your voice. Our video uses the consonant L combined with the vowel sounds eg: la la la. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern (2 times before the key change – as written in the picture example on the video) in one breath. It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice the better at it you become.

Chromatic Scale – 1 octave

Good for warming up your voice, and working on your tone and pitch

A chromatic scale is where you sing all the notes within a scale (including all the in between notes). This scale runs up and down the scale before a semitone key change. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern ( as written in the picture example on the video) in one breath (if you can).It is very easy to try to slide into the next note. Try if you can to be as accurate as possible. It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice the better at it you become.

Moving 3rds

Good for warming up the voice, strengthening the voice and increasing your agility

This Moving Thirds exercise works in intervals of a third, over a small range in a pattern of 3 times before a key change.

This exercise is good for working your voice. Our video uses the consonant L combined with the vowel sounds eg: la la la. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern (3 times before the key change – as written in the picture example) in one breath. It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice the better you become.

Your tongue is taking up a lot of the strain of the exercise when we la la la…. After a few goes, we suggest you take the tongue action away and try the exercise on the vowel sound. You will feel the shift of the exercise onto your vocal cords. This may feel strange at first, and tiring on your voice. Don’t do too many at first, build yourself up gradually over a few weeks.

Arpeggio Scale

Good for extending your range and working through your break

An Arpeggio Scale on the interval sequence –1, 5, 3, 8, 5, 3, 1, 5, 3, 8, 5, 3, 1 before a semitone increase. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern ( as written in the picture example on the video) in one breath (if you can). It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice the better at it you become. We suggest you use the combined the consonant L combined with a vowel sounds eg: la la la to begin with and later in the exercise just sing the piece on the vowel sound.

Arpeggio Scale No 2

Good for working your lower register and chest voice

An arpeggio scale in the interval pattern of 8,5,3,1,3,5,8 (repeated) before a semitone decrease, working down the scale. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern ( as written in the picture example on the video) in one breath. It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice, the better at it you become.

We suggest you use the combined the consonant L combined with a vowel sounds eg: la la la. Your tongue is taking up a lot of the strain of the exercise when we la la la…. and we change the vowel sound through the exercise. If you struggle to ground your chest voice as you go down the scale, you may wish to use a harder sounding consonant such as G (as in garage) or Y (as in yacht) eg Ga Ga Ga Ga… Ya Ya Ya Ya…

Arpeggio Scale No 3

Good for extending your range and working through your head and chest voice registers.

This Arpeggio Scale works up the scale in an interval pattern of 1,3,5,8,5,3,1 repeated before a semitone increase. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern (as written in the picture example on the video) in one breath (if you can). It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice, the better at it you become. We suggest you use the combined the consonant L combined with a vowel sounds eg: la la la. Your tongue is taking up a lot of the strain of the exercise when we la la la…. and we change the vowel sound through the exercise.

Rollback Exercise

Good for increasing your range and agility of your voice

This Rollback Scale works up and down the scale in a pattern of 3rds, followed by a semitone increase. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern (as written in the picture example on the video) taking a breath at the top of the scale, before coming down. We suggest you use the combined the consonant L combined with a vowel sounds eg: la la la. Your tongue is taking up a lot of the strain of the exercise when we la la la…. and we change the vowel sound through the exercise. As you get more proficient at the scales, or maybe you have been asked to practice something particular by your voice teacher, you can use different consonant/vowel combination to the scale instead.

Increasing Intervals

Good for increasing your range and agility. This exercise helps work through your break and helps connect your chest and head voice.

This Increasing Intervals Singing Exercise uses the notes of a major scale. It uses the base note of the scale to take you up the steps of the scale. When you reach the top, it uses the high note to bring you down the steps of the scale. The exercise is repeated twice through before a semitone key change.

The object of the exercise is to stretch the interval breaks between the low and high notes. Make sure when coming down the scale you are accurately singing the bigger intervals near the end of the scale and that it’s not sounding like the end of the tune The sun has got his hat on… “And he’s coming out for tea”. It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice the better you become at it. Further into the exercise we add a few consonant/vowel combinations to get your mouth moving.

Extending Your Range

Good for extending your range and working through your head and chest voice registers.

A combination scale of the simple 5th and the octave scale. You start in the middle of the scale and move down the scale, before moving up to the top of the scale before coming back down to the bottom. It’s a little more tricky that the two scales individually. We have combined the consonant L combined with a vowel sounds eg: la la la. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern ( as written in the picture example) in one breath (if you can). It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice the better at it you become.

11th Scale

Good for extending your range and working through your head and chest voice registers.

This 11th Scale works up the scale in a pattern to an interval of an 11th and back down again before a semitone increase. Try, if you can, to do the scale pattern (as written in the picture example on the video) in one breath (if you can). It’s tricky at first, but the more you practice, the better at it you become. We suggest you use the combined the consonant L combined with a vowel sounds eg: la la la. Your tongue is taking up a lot of the strain of the exercise when we la la la…. and we change the vowel sound through the exercise.